David Cameron will today demand that Angela Merkel backs his call for a freeze in the EU budget – as he brands pleas for a big increase ‘completely ludicrous’.

The PM insisted he will make ‘robust’ demands of the German chancellor when she visits London today.

His intervention came as auditors rejected the EU’s budget for the 18th year in succession. The European Court of Auditors said the budget was riddled with fraud and error – and that the situation was getting worse.

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He said: ‘One of the things that’s so notable about the Commission proposal is not only are they proposing a completely ludicrous 100billion euro increase in the European budget, but they are also not proposing to make any cuts to the central administrative costs.’

Current French President Francois Hollande, right, has reneged on the promise made by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy, left, to back Mr Cameron's calls for a freeze

The PM flies home today from the Middle East for dinner with Mrs Merkel in Downing Street where he will call on her to stick to a pledge she made in 2010 to stand with Mr Cameron in ruling out any inflation-busting increase.

No 10 is furious that the German leader has distanced herself from a letter signed by Europe’s ‘Big Three’ – Britain, France and Germany – insisting the budget for 2014 to 2020 is frozen in real terms.

BUREAUCRATS TO PROTEST

Thousands of Brussels bureaucrats are to down pens tomorrow in protest at David Cameron’s call for a freeze in the EU budget.Officials at the European Commission and European Council are expected to walk out in protest at threats to end their automatic annual pay rises.Tory MP Peter Bone described the strike as ‘great news’, saying: ‘It will save taxpayers a fortune and no one will notice the difference. I hope it goes on for as long as possible.’

Six countries signed the letter, including Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands, but since that time the European Commission has demanded a five per cent increase, raising it to more than a trillion euros for the first time.

French president Francois Hollande has reneged on the promise made by his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy to back Mr Cameron’s calls for a freeze.

Of the original signatories, only the Dutch have joined Mr Cameron in threatening to veto the budget if it is excessive.

Mrs Merkel has instead called for the budget to equal one per cent of EU gross national income, a formula that would lead to an increase in spending above the rate of inflation.

The PM is in a tight spot after 53 Tory MPs helped defeat the Government last Wednesday, passing a motion demanding a cut in the budget rather than a freeze.

Mr Cameron said: ‘I believe everyone who signed that letter should stick to that letter. I’ve always wanted at best a cut, at worst a freeze. I’ll be in there fighting for Europe’s taxpayers, particularly British taxpayers.

‘We will be taking a very tough approach. I look forward to my conversation with Angela. We’ve always had good, frank, open conversations and I will be making that argument with vigour.’

The European Court of Auditors yesterday said too much of the EU’s budget was still ‘not hitting the target’. The so-called ‘error rate’ rose from 3.7 per cent to 3.9 per cent.

In agriculture spending – an area the UK says must be slashed – the auditors found one case where a farmer was awarded a ‘special premium’ to pay for 150 sheep even though he had no sheep at all.

Elsewhere, land in Italy and Spain which was listed as ‘permanent pasture’ so it could qualify for the maximum possible EU subsidy, turned out to be ‘dense forest’ and ineligible for any EU cash.